Saturday, October 17, 2015

Wind Tunnel Skydiving (part 1 of 2)

Let’s say you are afraid of heights. Does that mean you will
never be able to skydive in your entire life? The answer is no because you can
experience the thrill thanks to wind tunnel skydiving.

Wind tunnel skydiving allows people to fly in the air
without the need to jump off from planes or put on a parachute. The machine
used pushes the winds upward at about 120 miles per hour so it can push anyone
off the ground.

There are two types of vertical wind tunnels.

The first is the outdoor vertical wind tunnel while the
other is the indoor wind tunnel. The outdoor tunnels are smaller or portable
making it easy to move from one venue to the other. The indoor tunnels are
fixed in one place and because they either use recirculating or
non-recirculating wind tunnels, these are ideal to use all year round even in
places that have cold climates.

Wind tunnel skydiving is more popular among the masses
because there is no chance that anyone will suffer a fatal accident. Those who
operate it can control the wind speed from 80 to 120 miles per hour so the
activity is in a controlled environment. Since it is a low impact activity,
almost anyone can do it even if you are carrying a few extra pounds.

Regardless if the wind tunnel is indoor or outdoor, the
motors that make it work are powered by either diesel or electricity. There is
a control unit manned by an operator that can increase or decrease air speed
depending on the size and skill level of the tunnel flyer.